Figure wheeled toy



Aug. 31 1926.

W. R. SMITH FIGURE WHEELED TOY Filed Sept. 24. 1923 i/ iO Walan E. E

Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

UNITED STATES WALTER R. SMETH, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS.

FIGURE WHEELED TOY.

Application filed September The present invention relates to toys, and more particularly to that type which are adapted to be inoved along the ground and. by such movement to operate a ligure or the like.

An object of the present invention is to improve the construction, generally, of such toys and to provide a strong and durable structure which may be economically manufactured and assembled, and a construction which admits of the use of various figures or devices thereon for operation by pushing or pulling the toy.

inother object of the invention isto provide an improved frame member for con necting the stick or handle to the wheel axle so as to support the axle in proper position and at the proper angle to the stick for actuating the'various levers and parts which are arranged between the axle and the stick.

The invention also provides an improved connection between a rocking lever and parts which are pivoted thereto for holding the parts in properly spaced apart relation and from binding or canting on the connection.

The above and various other objects and advantages of this invention will in part be described in and in part understood from the following detailed description of the 30 present preferred embodiment, the saine being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a toy constructed according to the present invention and showing a human ligure mounted there- Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the 'aine substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

40 Fig. S is a side elevation, partly in section, of a. slightly modified form of the invention, and

/l is a front elevation of the same. l

Referring to the drawing and first to the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 10 designates a stick or handle which is 'of sufficient length to extend from a childs hand into proximity with the ground and at its inner end may be provided with a foot or rest 11 for engagement with the ground to support the handle 1() in a slightly inclined position. The forward end of the handle is provided with a cross brace or bracket 12 which may be of strap metal bent about the top and sides of the stick 10 near the lower end thereof to form a socket and preferably the 24, 1923. Serial No. 664,489;

bracket 12 is held on the stick by nails 13 or the like which may be driven down through the top of the socket 11i and into the stick 10.

The opposite ends of the bracket 12 are -arched downwardly and are suitably apen tured for receiving` therethrough the opposite ends of a shaft 15 which carries rollers or wheels 16 adapted for contact with the ground to turn the shaft 15 as the toyis pushed forwardly. The shaft 15 may have spacing washers 17 between the inner sides of the wheel 16 and the ends of the bracket 12, and the shaftl may also have fired thereon disks 18 provided with prongs 19 arranged to be imbedded in the outer sides of the wheels 16 to reinforce the same and provide a positive driving connection between the shaft and the wheels.

The shaft 15 has at its intermediate portion a crank 20 upon which is pivoted the forward end of a connecting rod 21 which extends rearwardly beneath the handle 10 and is pivotally connected to the lower end of a lever 22. The lever 22 extends upwardly through a slot 23 which is formed vertically in the handle 10 at an intermediate point therein. The lever 22 extends upwardly through the slot and above the hanfdle 1() to a suitable distance for connection with the figure or device to be operated.

In the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a human figure is shown as comprisingI a body 211 having a head on its upper end and which is pivoted its lower end upon a pin 25 which passes through a post 26 rising from the handle 10. The pin 25 also supports a pair of upper leg sections 27 which are arranged at opposite sides of the body 2e and handle 10 and which have pivots 28st their lower ends upon which are hung lower leg sections 29. The pivots 23 constitute the knees of the figure and the lower ends or feet of the leg sections 29 are connected to the lower portion of the lever 22. The lever 22 carries a cross pin SO near its lower end which has offset pivot port-ions i 31 at its extremities which pass through the feet of the figure and which provide shoulders adapted to prevent the lower leg sections from bending inwardly or twisting upon the cross pin 30. rlhe outer ends of the offset portions 31 may be upset or headed to retain the feet in pivotal engagement with the cross pin 80.

The body 24E has at its upper end a pair of Cil arms 32 which are .pivoted at opposite sides of the body 24 upon a pin 33 and which extend to the top of the lever 22. The outer ends of the arms 32 are connected yby a cross pin 84 to the upper portion of the lever 22, the cross pin 84 having offset and headed ends similar to the ends 31 of the lower pin 30 to pivotally connect the arms to the-lever and to hold the arms apart in properly spaced relation.

The operation is apparent for when the stick or handle 10 is moved forwardly wheels 16 are turned and the axle 15 rotated. The crank 20 reciprocates. the;v connecting rod 21 and rocks the lever 22 on its pivot 35 in the` slot 23. The lower end of' the lever 22 swings the. lowerleg sections 29 back and forth and elevates the same slightly owing toa difference in length between that .of Athe leg sections 29 and the distance between the pivot'S andthe cross pin 30. This relation may also be varied by lengtheningk ory shortening the upper leg sections 27 to dispose the knee jointsin oli'set relation to the pivot 35 ofthe lever. The upper end of the lever 22 rocks the body 24v back andy forth on the post 26.

In the modification shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the upper end of the lever 22 is pivoted directly to the intermediate portion of a ligure 3G which may be a hare, a rabbit or other animal orv figure which is relatively long. The forward e-ndof the figure 36 is anchored by a link k37 to the handle 10,y the link 37 being pivoted at its upper end to the `ligure 36 and at its lowerend-'to the handle immediately in rear of the socket 14. The turning of thewheelsthus rocks the lever 22 and causes the ligure 36 to swin-g in a lengthwise and upwardly 4ext-ending arcuat-e direction which imparts a galloping or jumping movement to the figure while the forward end of the figure is held down and caused to swing downwardly asthe rear end' is raised.

lt is ofcourse understoodthat various changes and modifications may be made in he details of construction and design of the present preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit` of the invent-ion, the changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope ofthe following claims.

That is claimed is: l

1. A toy comprising a rigid` handle, an arched bracket disposed transversely of the lower end of -the handle v.and having araised socket at its intermediate portion adapted to embrace a portion of the handle, a shaft journaled in the bracket and having a crank formed at its medial portion below said handle, wheels mounted on said shaft, a rod connected to said crank and extending rearwardly therefrom,1a vertical lever pivoted intermediately upon the handle and pivotally connected at its lower end to said rod for swinging the lever back and forth as the wheels rotate, a figure pivotally connected at one portion to the upper end of said lever, and means for pivotally connecting the gure at -a second point to said handle.

2. -A toy comprising a rigid handle, a bracket disposed transversely of the lower end of the handle and extending in spread relation below the handle, a shaft journaled in the bracket and having` a crank formed at its medial portion 'below said handle, ground engaging wheels rigidly mounted on the shaft outwardly of said'bracket, a rod connected to said crank and extending rearwardly therefrom, a vertical lever pivoted intermediately upon` the h-andle and connected at its lower endtosaid rod, a ligure pivotally connected at one portion to the upper end of said lever andat another point to said handle, and a foot carried by the handle rearwardly of the figure and extending below the handle for a distance greater than the length of the vertical lever below its pivotal connection with the handle.

3. A toyvcomprising va handle, a bracket on the lower end of the handle, a shaft carried by thebracket land havin-g wheels fixed thereto and a crank thereon, a rod connected to the `crank and extending rearwardly beneath the handle, a lever pivoted verically through the handle and connected at its lower end to said rod for rocking the lever, a post rising from the handle in rear of the lever, a pivot pin on the post, a ligure body mounted on said pin, a pair of upper leg sections mounted on the pin, a pair of lower leg sections pivotally connected to the lower ends of the upper leg sections and eccentrically to the pivotal center of said lever, means for 'pivotally connecting the lower ends of the lower leg sections to the lower 'end of the lever, a pair of arms pivoted to theupper end portions of said ligure body, Aand means for pivotally connectingthe outer ends of said arms to the upper end of said lever.

WALTER R. SMITH. 

